It started when Hayden Carlo was pulled over for an expired registration sticker.

Carlo says he’s been struggling to support his wife and two small children.

“You get paid, pay your bills, and there’s your money. It’s gone.”

He told the officer he had no excuse for the expired sticker.

“I said ‘there’s no explanation for why I haven’t done it, except I don’t have the money.’ I said ‘it was either feed my kids or get my registration done.”

The officer wrote a citation and handed it to the 25-year-old. Carlo says when he took it, he could not believe what he saw.

“I opened it up and there’s a 100 dollar bill. I broke down in my car what else could I do.”

The officer never told anyone about the $100 gift. But Carlo’s grandfather, Billy McIntire, was so moved by the kind gesture he wrote a letter to the department.

“I get emotional when we talk about this type of thing,” McIntire says. “You just don’t find that many officers who would do this type of thing.”

While other officers around the country have recently been recognized for similar acts, this officer wants to remain anonymous. His coworkers plan to honor him anyway.

“As he told me, this man needed it more than him, and it was the right thing to do,” says fellow officer and department spokesperson David Tilley.

Carlo was able to update his the registrations on his car and his wife’s car with the money. He’s now driving to a new job and providing for his growing family, after a gift from the last person he would have expected to help during tough times.

“He helped me out when I needed it and I appreciate that. I’ll never forget that man,” Carlo says. “It definitely restored my faith in God.”